Looking for help

[fuselighter]

Hi everyone I'm new to the forum. I'm a member of MAPAG for the past 3 years, but pretty much a newbie when it comes to building.

 

I've really taken a liking to the daytime shells and mines that use colored smoke. I have successfully built shells, mines, comets and gerbs, although in very limited numbers.

 

Would anyone be willing to share a formula I could use to make colored smoke stars?

 

Thanks in advance

[Arthur]

Are you ready for the MESS? You may need to work in full overalls and mask and gloves!

 

http://www.thegreenman.me.uk/pfp/smoke.html

 

Is just one web presence of a particular list. Other formulae exist! Remember that most smoke formulae are chlorate based which may be (become) difficult to get. Also the incompatibilities (especially sulphur) mean that you need a set of kit for chlorate comps and a set for BP based comps.

 

Basically a smoke comp is 25% Chlorate 25% Lactose and 50% sublimeable dye. Once you have the comp sorted remember that the shape of the reaction chamber in the cardboard assembly is critical -too fast a flame and the dye burns, too slow and the flame goes out.

[AzoMittle]

You can also use loose powdered colored chalk to make a nice little 'puff' if you don't want full smoke stars.

 

Found this:

 

Fred Ryan's Black Star!

50 Lampblack

25 Graphite (-300 mesh)

15 Bituminous Coal (Fine powder)

09 Burned cork

01 Polyethylene Oxide (Polyox)

Edited May 25, 2016 by AzoMittle

[fuselighter]

I was warned about the mess from the guys in the club.

 

Again considering I'm a total newbie .... The smoke formula is put in tube for shells and mines vs. making stars?

 

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

[lloyd]

It really doesn't matter WHAT you use it for! You'll be "dyed" from head to foot by the time you finish manipulating it! It's just NASTY.

 

(fun, yes! nasty, yes!)

 

Lloyd

[AzoMittle]

EDIT: Ignore what I say here, Xtreme Pyro's method is much simpler.

 

 

I was warned about the mess from the guys in the club.

 

Again considering I'm a total newbie .... The smoke formula is put in tube for shells and mines vs. making stars?

 

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

 

 

Disclaimer: I've never actually tried this.

 

The simplest (and cleanest) approach I can think of is:

 

1) Have your mise en place setup. Have your latex/nitrile gloves, dust mask, shell, burst, lift, fuse, tissue paper, and chalk set out and readily accessible. I'm referring to the marking chalk used for construction, for example here is 5 pounds of blue for $2.45 http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00004YOCA or 5 pounds of fluorescent green for $10 http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000089H9N

 

2) Add a layer of chalk to the bottom of your hemisphere. Put a piece of tissue paper over it, use a large piece, you can trim it to size later on but you can't add more on to it if it isn't large enough to begin with.

 

3) Put a scoop of burst on top of the tissue paper. So if you took a cross sectional cut it would be: Shell wall --> chalk --> tissue paper --> burst.

 

4) Working in increments add more chalk in between the shell wall and the tissue paper, use the burst to support it. Scoop of chalk, scoop of burst, scoop of chalk, scoop of burst....

 

Something like this: http://i.imgur.com/FMnTNHv.png

 

Mirror: http://i.imgur.com/FMnTNHv.png

Edited May 29, 2016 by AzoMittle

[Xtreme Pyro]

There is a MUCH easier method to making chalk shells if you're looking for a burst of color in the day.

1) Place a tube over your time fuse, and fill it with your burst of choice, and plug the top (BP, Vitamin F, Whistle..)
2) Place a baggie of chalk in each hemi, the bag is not necessary but it does help keep your burst from mixing with the chalk, which would likely result in a return trip.

Picture: http://imgur.com/HnFReza

[MrB]

There is a MUCH easier method to making chalk shells if you're looking for a burst of color in the day.

 

1) Place a tube over your time fuse, and fill it with your burst of choice, and plug the top (BP, Vitamin F, Whistle..)

2) Place a baggie of chalk in each hemi, the bag is not necessary but it does help keep your burst from mixing with the chalk, which would likely result in a return trip.

 

Picture: http://imgur.com/HnFReza

 

Essentially, make firecracker potent enough to burst the shell, and, if wanted, to what ever extent you want the noise to be the deciding factor of it's size. Glue it to the hemi with the timefuse sticking out the hole, and fill it with colored chalk. Fill the other hemi to the brim, and use what ever strategy you normally use to fit hemis to one and other. The "snap" strategy would probably make the mess even larger. Secure hemis, and past as normally. Bonus, no plastic, and slightly more chalk in the shell.

 

Xtreme Pyro: Very nice tactic, thanks for sharing the picture, it really does say more then a 1000 words.

B!

[fuselighter]

EDIT: Ignore what I say here, Xtreme Pyro's method is much simpler.

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I've never actually tried this.

 

The simplest (and cleanest) approach I can think of is:

 

1) Have your mise en place setup. Have your latex/nitrile gloves, dust mask, shell, burst, lift, fuse, tissue paper, and chalk set out and readily accessible. I'm referring to the marking chalk used for construction, for example here is 5 pounds of blue for $2.45 http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00004YOCA or 5 pounds of fluorescent green for $10 http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000089H9N

 

2) Add a layer of chalk to the bottom of your hemisphere. Put a piece of tissue paper over it, use a large piece, you can trim it to size later on but you can't add more on to it if it isn't large enough to begin with.

 

3) Put a scoop of burst on top of the tissue paper. So if you took a cross sectional cut it would be: Shell wall --> chalk --> tissue paper --> burst.

 

4) Working in increments add more chalk in between the shell wall and the tissue paper, use the burst to support it. Scoop of chalk, scoop of burst, scoop of chalk, scoop of burst....

 

Something like this: http://i.imgur.com/FMnTNHv.png

 

Mirror: http://i.imgur.com/FMnTNHv.png

 

 

There is a MUCH easier method to making chalk shells if you're looking for a burst of color in the day.

 

1) Place a tube over your time fuse, and fill it with your burst of choice, and plug the top (BP, Vitamin F, Whistle..)

2) Place a baggie of chalk in each hemi, the bag is not necessary but it does help keep your burst from mixing with the chalk, which would likely result in a return trip.

 

Picture: http://imgur.com/HnFReza

 

 

 

Essentially, make firecracker potent enough to burst the shell, and, if wanted, to what ever extent you want the noise to be the deciding factor of it's size. Glue it to the hemi with the timefuse sticking out the hole, and fill it with colored chalk. Fill the other hemi to the brim, and use what ever strategy you normally use to fit hemis to one and other. The "snap" strategy would probably make the mess even larger. Secure hemis, and past as normally. Bonus, no plastic, and slightly more chalk in the shell.

 

Xtreme Pyro: Very nice tactic, thanks for sharing the picture, it really does say more then a 1000 words.

B!

 

Thanks guys.

 

I think I'll build some 3" chalk shells and mines at the next club shoot. It also got me thinking about combining smoke and chalk. Purple smoke stars with a florescent green chalk pistil.

[schroedinger]

Have a look here for the chalk method:

http://www.wichitabuggywhip.com/fireworks/daylightshells.html

 

And for classic smoke stars read up shimizu.

 

For black smoke stars look here:

http://blog.skylighter.com/fireworks/2013/05/mitch-piatts-red-and-black-daylight-shell.html

 

After that come agajn and we teach you more.

Also don't be affraid of dye based smokes, work outside and carefully you can save yourself a lot of trouble. Also a pyro shaker is a handy tool to have at hand.

[Arthur]

Remember that your smoke comp is about 50% a permanent dye. You will make a mess when making the shells and a mess when firing them. You cannot use coloured smokes on lined sports pitches or places where the green surface will be televised.

 

18th hole of the US Open with coloured blotches on their pristine grass anyone?!?